On their website, Diptyque Paris sells candlewick trimmer, candles snuffer, and their wide range of candles where you can even build your own set. When someone told me that the Diptyque candle set was discounted for the Nordstrom Sale, I bought them immediately. I was on board for the $55 price tag, which Nordstrom says is normally a $75 value. Plus, I had a Nordstrom gift card to use. The timing couldn't be better! I haven't been able to find this type of deal again but if you ever find them on sale, it's worth a shot. I love to save money.

The Diptyque candle set comes with five fragrance favorites:

Baies - featuring notes of blackcurrant & Bulgarian rose. 
Figuier - featuring notes of the fig tree
Feu de Bois - featuring woody notes
Roses - featuring notes of changing roses
Tubéreuse - featuring notes of the tuberose flower

Size & Value

The 5-count set is an excellent way to test Diptyque candles without committing to the bigger, ultimately more expensive sizes. Each candle is 1.23 oz, about the size of a shot glass, so that's $11 per shot glass-sized candle. For reference, a 2.4 oz Diptyque candle retails at $35, & the 6.5 oz candle retails for $65. So, unless you find a Diptyque sale, the $55 Nordstrom Sale price is a fantastic value.

You can find Diptyque products in a few places. You can find them online in places such as Nordstrom, Amazon, and of course on the Diptyque website. People who love candles will want to take a few Diptyque candles home. Candle Collections include: Baies, Figuier, Feu de Bois, Tubéreuse, Roses, Ambre, 34 Collection.

My candle care tips (for any candle brand)

The first light is the most important; be sure to keep the candle lit until the wax melts across the entire first layer. This will help you avoid the dreaded tunneling effect or memory ring. Once the ring is formed, it doesn't go away. Always burn until the entire top wax layer is melted. Always trim your wick before relighting.

The One Thing to Keep in Mind

There is no denying that Diptyque is a luxury scented candle brand with quality, powerful ingredients. However, don't expect these little guys to fill a big room. Because the candle surface area is small, there is less wax melting & thus, less scent to be dispersed. If I had gotten a larger candle, I believe there would be more scent emanating throughout the room.

Worth the Money? The Verdict

Is Diptyque Worth It? The candles smell incredible. When cared for, they burn evenly. The packaging is chic. They last long. They look gorgeous in photos. They make me feel fancy. The candle set makes a thoughtful gift for a candle lover. If you value candles, this is a great value.

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As a social media manager as well as a local San Diego blogger, I've done my fair share of blog writing, publicity, press, events, & pretty much everything under the social media sun. I've been on both the giving & receiving end of social media marketing. Sometimes that means a brand collaboration, sometimes that's an Instagram collaboration - I have first-hand perspective on what brands look for before working with a blogger. How can you secure a brand collaboration? How do you find local influencer marketing?

I've managed social channels for brands that focus on timeshares, sewing & embroidery designs, vegan energy bars, & more. Blogger outreach, brand collaboration, and Instagram collaboration are the ideal way to get brands in touch with modern influencers. Whether you're a California lifestyle blogger or an organic mommy blogger, make sure your blog is on a brand's radar. If you want to receive more inquiries from brands, get your first brand collaboration, read up on these seven things brands look for before working with a blogger.

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1. Quality Content & Photography

Before a brand even gets around to reaching out to you, we scour your blog to look at your content, your writing, & your photography. We browse your content & photos to judge if a possible brand collaboration would work. We want good spelling & grammar. We want clear & interesting photos. We want to see your personality shine through your words & content. We view your past posts as a reflection of what a collaboration would look like.

2. Social Media Following

We actively look at all of your social media channels to determine if your blog is a good fit for us. After all, we are providing a service, product, or financial compensation to you & your service is exposure, website clicks, & potential sales for us. You don't have to have an enormous social media following. Count up your followers on all your social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, etc. My tip: sometimes it's more powerful to say, "I have 3,000+ followers across my social media channels," rather than "I have 907 Facebook followers, 750 Twitter followers, 824 Instagram followers, 500 Tumblr followers, etc." If you're looking for an Instagram collaboration, brands will consider your overall reach & comments - they might ask to see your analytics.

3. Activity on Social Media Channels

What good is a social media following if you never Tweet, update, or post? We're looking to see if you're active on social media channels by updating relevant & regular information to what we're selling. For example, a vegetarian jerky brand reached out to me because I Tweeted several times about being vegetarian. If you're a San Diego blogger, make sure you're following local San Diego accounts.

4. Engaged Readers

Engagement is extremely important! You can have a huge social media following but no engagement. You're more valuable to us if you have 100 daily views & 2 clicks to our website versus 10,000 daily views & 2 clicks. If you're lacking in followers, your engagement level may save you. If you have both a decent social media following & engagement that makes a wonderful mixture.

5. Demographics

All the above are great & everything, but are your readers who we are targeting? Your blog readers, their age, their location, & their habits, affect whether or not our brand is a good match for your blog. If we're selling candy bars but your blog focuses on healthy recipes, we're probably not a good pair. If you're a single woman in your early 20s, you may not be a good fit for our family-oriented timeshare rentals.

6. Reliability

Did you know that when brands send free stuff or pay for a sponsored post, that costs money? It usually comes from a yearly or quarterly budget set aside specifically for marketing, social media, or influencer outreach. Blogger outreach is costly & brands only have a certain amount of budget & inventory to give out, so we want to ensure that you will be a reliable blogger should we decide to work with you. How long does it take you to respond to emails? How often do you update your blog? What's your turnaround time for collaborative or sponsored posts? Do you have past examples?

7. Media Kit, About Me, or Sponsor Page

After we determine that everything about your blog is a good match for us, we look at your media kit, about me page, &/or sponsor page to find out more about you. We're trying to find your contact information, other brands you've worked with, your page statistics, & any readily available information. This is the final touch before we gather all the content we've accrued & either take it to a superior for approval or begin reaching out to you.

You heard it from me everybody! This is a step-by-step guide in what brands look for before working with a blogger or pursuing blogger outreach. It's a tedious & time intensive process to find the perfect match for the brand, but if we are a good team it's well worth it.

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Make your own lip gloss colors with items you already have at home! I've been experimenting with lip colors recently. I don't necessarily want to invest in a $20 lipstick when I'm not sure about the color selection. I took matters into my own hands. I had this enormous eyeshadow palette with 80 colors & so many different types of lip balms. I thought I could combine the two & create my own lip glosses...& I did!